Transmission



3 Sheets-sheet 1 T. E. TYLER TRANSMISSION Filed Jan. 24, 1956 T. B. -TYLER 2,151,950

TRANSMISSION March z8, 193g Filed Jan. 24, 1956 3 Sheets-Shea?l 2 T,B.TYLER March Zi i939.

TRANSMTSSTON 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 24, 1936 ATTORNEYS 40 conditions, cannot rotate in a reverse direction Patented Mar. 28, 1939 PATENT OFFICE 2,151,950 TRANSMISSION Tracy Brooks Tyler, Detroit,

The Monopower Corporation,

Michigan Mich., assigner to a corporation of Application January 24, 1936,'seria1No. 60,571

1 claim. (ci. vs -aso) f The present invention relates to a novel torque changing mechanism adapted for use in combination with automotive vehicles, manufacturing machines, and any other devices, mechanisms,

- or machines wherein it is essential to the operation thereof that the relative torque of a drive and driven member be varied.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a change torque mechanism wherein the change from the high torque ratio to the lower torque ratio is gradual and accomplished while the drive member and driven member are rotated. In o therA Words'v the present device avoids necessity of employing a master clutch for stopping rotation'of'the drive member while the change from one torque ratio to another is being made. v

Another object of the present invention is to provide a change torque mechanism of a, type particularly suitable for use in automotive vehicles for transmitting power from the engine or'driveshaft to a propeller` or driven shaft connected to the driving wheels so that constant acceleration-from a standing start to the highest possible s'peed of the vehicle may be attained, this being possible due to the fact that it is not necessary to bring the drive shaft *to a stop or to low speed of rotation to permit the torque cha e mechanism to vary the orque ratio from a high ratio toa lowratio.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a change torque mechanism for use in combination with various types of driving and driven mechanisms wherein it is desirable to provide variable torque drives and a reverse drive between the driving and driven mecha.- nisms. V

The invention essentially embodies a planetary 'train of gears, mounted within an internally toothed drum that, under normal forward drive due to the forces set up by rotation of the planetary train of gears with which it is inconstant mesh. The planetary train of gears is driven by the drive shaft and is supported in a freely rotatable spider that may be connected by a positive clutch to a. member to be driven, the clutch being controlled by any suitable automatic or manual means. In combination with the planetary train of gears the invention provides a cen' trifugally operable clutch, responsiveA to the rotative speed of the gear supporting spider to engage the drum within which said gears are mounted, engagement of the clutch gradually relieving the planetary train of the driving load until a predetermined speed is attained, at which time the planetary train is entirely eliminated as active elements in the drive and a direct drive established between'the driving anddriven elements. Likewise the clutch may be gradually eliminated by the planetary train of gears taking the driving load upon deceleration. With the above and other ends in view the invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the appended claim, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal cross section of a change torque mechanism embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse cross section taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a transverse cross section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a transverse cross section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5`is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.v

Like characters of reference are employed throughout to designate corresponding parts. 'l In Fig. 1 of the drawings there is illustrated a casing l formed with end walls 2 and 3, each of said walls being formed with an opening therein. The opening in the wall 2 receives bearings and race 4 and the opening inthe wall 3 is provided with a removable cover plate 5 in which is mounted bearings and race 6. A shaft 1 extends into the casing l and is supported in the bearings 4, and it is to be understood that the shaft 1 is connected toany suitable driving means, to be rotated thereby, and that it will be hereinafter known as the drive shaft or drive member.

Extending into the casing I from the opposite end and supported in the bearings 6 is a shaft 8, the latter shaft being provided with means 9 throughwhich it may be, connected to any machine element to drive the same when a driving connection is `"established in a manner and through mechanism to be presently described. For descriptive purposes 'and in the claims the shaft 8 will hereinafter be termed the driven shaft or the driven member.

That end of the driven member 8 which projects into the casing is provided with a concentric bore I0, and the end of'the drive member 'I that projects into the casing 'is provided with a concentric pilot portion Il. The pilot portion li is received in the bore I0 and thus maintains ment.

of planet gear shafts IB- on which are mountedherring bone gears I1. the latter being free to rotate on said shafts and held in constant mesh with the gear I2 thereby.- A two-part zing gear I3 is supported in mesh with the gears I1 by a sectional drum Il. The sections of thedrum I3 are secured together by bolts and the drum is supported concentric with the axis of the drive member 1 by flanges 2| on the outer edges of the zo spider plates I3. In order to prevent the drum I3 from moving longitudinally the plates I3 are provided with shoulders 22 that engage the sides of the ring gears I3.

Secured on one of the spider plates I3 is an internally toothed clutch ring 23 that co-acts with a toothed flange 24 on a sliding clutchelement 2B, the latter being keyed to the driven member to rotate therewith. The end of the drum I9 adjacent the end 3 of the casing is provided with ao 'an inwardly extending flange 26 that is internally toothed as at 21. A clutch member, 23 is mounted or formed on the slidingclutch element 23 to co-act with the clutch teeth 21 in creating a driving connection between the drum I9 and g5 clutch element 25. and ultimately to the driven w establish a forward drive at which time clutch member II.

In a manner presently to be described the clutch parts 23 and 24 serve as a forward drive mechanism. and the clutch parts 21 and 28 serve as a reverse drive clutch, whenI said respective parts are in mesh. .With this understood, the shifter mechanisml for the clutch will be described, the mechanism includes a slidable ,bar 23 that may be moved longitudinally by a rocking lever 3l. 'Ihe bar 23 carries a yoke 3|- that is received in a groove 32 in the slidable clutch element. It is obvious from the illustration that the lever 33 may be rocked to move the sliding clutch element 2l sothat clutch parts 23 and 24 are engaged to parts 21 and 23 'are disengaged. 'Ihe lever 30 may be moved to disengage clutch parts 23 and 24 and engage clutch parts 21 and 28, or it may be moved to disengage both sets of clutch parts.-

On the inner face of the end wall 2 is formed a concentric boss 3l having a plurality of grooves 32 of varying depth. the grooves being formed to correspond one with the other, and to receive rollers 33. The end of the drum I9 extends over the boss 3I and the rollers are urgged by springs 34 to the shallow part of the grooves 32. It is obvious that the bottoms of the grooves act as cam or wedge surfaces so that rotation of the drum I3 in one. direction resulting from external pressure thereon, causes the rollers 33 to become wedged between the drum and bottom of their respective grooves and thus lock the drum against rotation in that direction. Pressure tending to rotate the drum in the opposite direction, however, causes the drum .I3 to brush the rollers to a lower part of the groove bottoms so that they permit rotation of the drum in that direction.

Pivotally mounted on one of the spider plates I 3 are a pair of clutch shoes 35 thatare adapted to be expanded into contact with the drum I9 by cams 3l. The cams 33 are actuated by weighted arms 31 that are normally held by springs 33 to hold the cams 36 and shoes 35 inactive. It is obvious however, that upon rotation of the spider plate centrifugal force is set up to move said arms outwardly to actuate cams 33 to force shoes 3l into Contact with the drum la.

For the purpose of obtaining the reverse drive there is provided a downwardly projecting arm 33 on the sliding bar 25, the arm having an opening through which the driving member 1 projects. A number of pins 40 are carried by the arm 3.3 and one of said pins projects into each of the grooves 32, adjacent the rollers 33 therein. The pins are formed with two diameters, the smaller diameter being disposed in the groove adjacent the roller when clutch parts 23 and 24 are engaged so that the roller may move 'a sufilcient distance in the groove to povide the wedging action above described that prevents rotation of the drum Il in one direction. When the large diameter of the pins extend into the grooves the rollers 33 are vheld out of a wedging position vand the drum I3 is therefore free lto rotate in either direction. The larger part of the pins engages the rollers 33 when the clutch parts 21 and 28 are engaged.

Notches 42 are provided to receive the ends 4I of the lpins 4I! when the larger diameter of the latter prevents the wedging action of the rollers, these notches being formed in any part of the mechanism that is connected to the spider I3,

and as illustrated in a plate 42 that is secured to the hub I4`of the spider I3.

The operation will be described with reference to Fig. 1 wherein the parts are shown in forward drive position, inasmuch as clutch elements 23 and 24 are engaged. It will be assumed that the driving member 1 is rotated by any suitable power means to rotate the gear I2, the gear I2 being the sun gear in the planetary arrangement shown. 'I'he planet gears I1 are in constant mesh with gear I2 and are rotated thereby, the tendency of this rotative pressure on gears I1 obviously being to rotate the drum II-in the direction opposite to the rotation of gear I2. At this time the pins 4I are in a position so that the rollers 33 are permitted to become wedged between the stationary boss 3| and the drum I3 to prevent rotation of the latter and thus cause the gears I2 and I1 to rotate in planetary fashion accompanied by ro tation of the spider I3. As above statedv parte 23 and 24 are engaged and upon rotation of the spider the clutch element 25 is driven thereby and rotation of the driven member II caused. The above described drive is the high torque drive.

As the rotative speed of the spider I3 is increased by increasingthe speed of the drive member -the centrifugal force urging the weighted arms 31 outwardly also increases correspondingly. When sufllcient centrifugal pressure is built up the arms 31 rotate cams 36 and force the clutch shoes 3B into contact with the drum Hand thus gradually establish a driving connection between the spider I3 and the drum I 3 and by so doing the effectiveness of the speed reducing planetary gear-train as a driving connection is eliminated and the driven member is rotated at the same speed as the drive member and with correspondingly increased speed and lowered torque.

To attain the reverse drive the shifter bar 23 is moved so that clutch parts 21 and 23 are engaged, at which time the rollers 33 are held out of their wedging position by pins 40 and the spider I3 is held against rotation by the ends 4I of the pins engaging in the slots 42 to prevent planetary direction opposite to the rotation of gear I2, the

action oi the gears. Upon rotation o! .the-gear i2 the gears I1 are rotated and serve as common idler gears `to cause rotation of the drum I8 in a rotary motion of the drum being` transmitted through clutch parts 21, 28-and 25 to the driven 'member il which accordingly rotatesin the opposite direction as compared with the drive mem ber.

Seals 43 are provided at each end of the casing to retain liquid lubricant therein, so that theentire mechanism above described may be operated' `while submerged in oil.

Although a specific embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described it is to be understood that various changes may be made in the details of `construction without departing from the spirit of the invention asset forth in the appended claim. andsuch changes are contemplated.

WhatI claim is: l In a transmissii'n having a rotatable drum and a rotatable element therein, va stationary element adjacent said drum, a brake between said drum and stationary element, said brake comprising a series of rollers contacting a surface of said drum and inclined surfaces onsaid stationary element whereby they normally prevent lrotation of the drum in. one direction, and means for moving said rollers to a position wherein they are inoperative to prevent rotation of the drum, said last named means having extended portions adapted to engage said rotatable element whensaid rollers are rendered inoperative.

' I TRACY BROOKS TYLER. 

